Quickspin Gets Into The High Roller Game With Joker Strike Slot

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We love it when we get upcoming news about new casino games, as it’s always fun to try and guess if it’s going to be the next big hit.

Or, at least, the next big game we’ll play all month till the next shiny thing takes our attention. It doesn’t take much, to be honest.

And whilst Quickspin software doesn’t usually get the time and attention like new Microgaming slots or NetEnt games like Archangels Salvation, this Joker Strike is worth looking into.

Mostly because it’s only out in a couple of weeks and it’s going in a very different direction from their usual portfolio.

What we know about the Joker Strike slot:

Thanks to the lovely folks over at Quickspin, and the powers of YouTube, we know a fair amount:

Now, if this is the very first time you’ve ever seen or played on a Quickspin slot that wasn’t called ‘Big Bad Wolf’, then you might be excited.

After all, it’s got a classic Joker design, some cool looking features, and an unusual strike feature that is potentially very rewarding.

The vital statistics look pretty solid:

Looking a little bit beyond the video and at some of the stats, here’s what we’ve discovered:

• You can win up to 1211 times your bet
• Medium to high variance slot machine
• RTP of 96.46% in normal mode
• RTP as high as 98.11% in big bet mode
• Min/Max bet: 0.10 / 100
• One main feature: on the win, you get a second chance at a strike or big win if the wheel around the reels lands on your symbol.
• Big bet options allow you to buy better features and chances for better wins.

So why are we not excited? Well, because we’ve played Quickspin games on mobile in the past, and we know what all this means, and it’s not great.

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We have three main problems with this new slot:

And we should clarify here that this is all based on the video and the stats. We haven’t played this Joker Strike mobile slot as it’s not due out till the 10th of April.

We are human, we are fallible, we may end up loving it when it comes out. But a couple of things are bugging us and keeping us from getting really excited.

1. We are (generally) not fans of big bet slot game mechanics

The idea that for an extra price you can buy yourself extra features isn’t new. The new Hotline slot from NetEnt just did it, and NextGen’s Superbet casino games are now famous.

But these are affordable games; you might increase the minimum bet from 0.20 a spin to 0.40. And, more importantly, you don’t necessarily get an increase in the return to player rate of the slot machine.

Quickspin hasn’t borrowed from this far friendly model but instead followed the lead of Barcrest slots.

Barcrest links together 5 spins for one price: usually 20, 30, or 50 in cash. By doing so, not only do you get better returns, but you get better, more exciting game features.

If you can afford high roller spins, why not buy an advantage?

Clearly, it’s a popular model otherwise we wouldn’t keep getting games like Rainbow Riches Rainbow Favours or the Legend of Big Foot slot.

Because in our minds, it’s a little predatory and elitist. Not only does it tempt you to spend more, but it’s saying that if you can’t afford to bet big, chances are you won’t win much.

We know that some progressive jackpots work that way, but the joy of slots is that anyone can play, from the casual ‘betting a pint of beer on a slot’ guy, to the gal with the numerous Swiss bank accounts.

We’re not saying this model can’t work; clearly there’s a lot of people who love high limit slots. But we prefer it when the playground is fair.

2. This is not (technically) a new slot machine from Quickspin

If you’ve played past Quickspin phone games before you’ll know that one of the ones we loved the most was their Second Strike slot.

Go on, read that game review, you’ll soon see some ‘striking’ similarities (excuse the pun).

It’s essentially the same game, except they’ve changed the theme so that instead of a fruity, you have high card symbols, stars and jokers.

It’s not even that dissimilar a theme, really, when you compare them side by side.

About the only ‘new’ thing here is those big bet buttons which add extra wild symbols to the wheel around the reels, giving you a chance at big bad wins.

3. It’s doesn’t let you have any game strategy

If you are new to playing slot games, chances are you’ve never even thought about what slot strategy you’d utilise other than ‘not lose’. Which isn’t a strategy, so much as a hope.

But if you’ve been playing on video slots a while, you start having fun with how much you bet. Maybe you’re on a winning streak so you increase your bet slowly, trying to catch the free spins on a bigger bet.

Maybe you are trying to conserve your budget, so you bet low and only increase after a big win.

Either way, there’s a lot of ways to play – if you are curious Elk Studios does it best with their in-game strategy slots that automatically change your bet depending on what you want to do.

Not so when you are tied into playing 5 spins at one price, no matter what. It’s not a deal breaker, but unless it’s a particularly good game, can make it lose a few points in our minds.

Is this a bold new direction for Quickspin slots?

Honestly, in case we weren’t being absolutely obvious about it, no. It isn’t.

Quickspin has always been fantastic about creating games that surprise us; even the new Volcano Riches slot, which was only ‘OK’ was fun to play for an afternoon.

And hey, maybe we are mistaken about this one. Maybe we will love it even without taking our 5 big bet spins. Maybe it will surprise us, like so many mobile slots from this provider from the past.

But, for now, it looks like a step in the wrong direction. Guess we will have to wait until the 10th of April to see.

Meanwhile, why not check out the best of the best from this game studio at Guts casino – if you are from the UK you even get a special treat.